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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

My kids would never dream of misbehaving. They are always polite and respectful. They wouldn't dare throw themselves down on the floor in an all-out tantrum. When I tell them it's time to go to bed, they cheerfully say, "OK Mommy!" Then they brush their teeth without being reminded, they lay out their clothes for the next day, and they say their prayers. They give me a kiss goodnight, thank me for making them eat broccoli at dinner, and tell me I'm the best mother ever. Even Brooklyn, who just turned two, is perfectly behaved and extremely agreeable as proven by this video.

100 comments:

I pick the exact same fights with my two-year-old. She always wants to go outside, never wants to nap, and insists that she's not a baby. I love to get her all riled up. I'm not sure why it's so much fun.

Please tell me you are not that calm during tantrums...My three year old still does that...and I'm never that calm. Except for when she says she's not the baby...she says...nope I'm a Myra. Anyhow...you make me think I'll make it through my husband's deployment with a three year old and a newborn. Thanks

Okay, I have to delurk for this one. I even had to share the video with my husband with the warning that this is what we have to look forward to. My daughter is 14 months old and already has a good start down this path! Thanks for the warning, and for having a great attitude when dealing with this! I'll have to work on that. LOL!

What is it about kids not wanting to take naps? I would LOVE it if each day someone took me to a nice dark room and did not bother me for 2 hours while I slept. I might get 10 minutes on the sofa if I pass out - and someone always comes looking for me. Mom - are you asleep? Nope - just resting my eyes.....

Oh my goodness I feel so much more a normal human being. My 3 1/2 year old, Jeremy, could be the twin of Brooklyn. I have two T-shirts that he wears to fit him to a T - "Hello My Name is Trouble", and "My Parents are Exhausted". He is the love of my life but wears me out daily with his refusal to do anything I say and I mean anything. His whole goal in life is to disagree with what I ask of him; "I don't want to", "I don't like that", and everyday this is "too tight", "not tight enough", "it hurts", "it's not bedtime", "I'm not hungry", "I want this" and etc. etc. etc. I asked him yesterday..."how much longer are you going to put me through this, you're over 3 and it's been over a year?" If he could answer I think he would of said at least 20 more years. Got to love them.

Aww, I was hoping for some real ear-splitting, floor beating tantrums! 16 years from now though, we'll have to arrange to send Brooklyn to the same college as my 2 year old "Boo." Something tells me they'd be perfect together!

That is so mellow compared to my three year old!! Definitely the same level of logic though! We just took the pacifier away a month ago and every so often, she tells me that she doesn't want to be the big girl. She is just little! :) I agree with her whole heartedly!! How hard it is to grow up and not want to be the baby anymore! -Alice

I've noticed a few people have already commented that she seems fairly tame in her tantrums. I have to agree! What's sad, is that my daughter really puts her to shame... and she is EIGHT YEARS OLD. It's truly ridiculous.

Thanks for giving me a much needed laugh today! I have a 2 year old little boy that would match with Brooklyn very well. They can stay awake and tell each other "NO".It made me realize how things are sooo much funnier when they happen to others than when they happen to us. I will have to remember to get out my video camera next time.

lol I shouldnt laugh but I too just keep pushing them till their heads seem to rotate and their eyes turn green lol. I have a 9 year old boy that is like this also, why doesnt he realise that NO means NO and if you keep asking me I am going to EXPLODE!!!!!!!!!

I am so lucky my son who is almost 2 doesn't put up a fight too much. He tells me he doesn't want to go, but he goes when I offer to tell him "his story". First he has to lie down and put his head on his pillow, then "his story" begins. "his story" is the story about his day. I start with how he woke up, gave mom and dad good morning kisses, what he had for breakfast, what he did in the morning, and then it was naptime. He gave a biiiig stretch (he copies the stretch), and a biiiig yawn (he totally copies the yawns), said "love love" and "night night" (he does this most times too), then hugged his teddy bear, and closed his eyes (yep, he's still doing it) and went to sleep. Then I say Jack had a good day. This works miracles at bedtime too! it's amazing, the story goes for about 10 to 20 minutes, and when it's all over, he's exausted, and just passes out in minutes, no fight. It was such a hassle before I started his stories.

Although... I have a feeling when the baby arrives in two months, we may get back into some meltdowns... I'll have to come up with another plan...

I have a daughter, now 4 -- who used to be able to make Miss Brooklyn look like a warm-up act. It takes time, but you can break this. In our house, cranky little girls go to their room when they act up or can't stop fussing. It took us nearly a year to get there, but she now goes to her room on her own (usually). We do have 1 way we use torment her if she starts up, and that's singing the chorus of 'It's the end of the world as we know it'. There's another song I made up, that other parents seem to adore..."No, means no ---no, means no! And if you think, no means yes, Mommie's hand will say NO NO NO!" I just loved it when my 10 year old launched into round of this with my 4 yr old in the foyer at church! Since then, I've heard that tune a few times from other kids....

My son is shaving his head for kids with cancer. We would love to have Julians story on St Balricks page so that we could have him listed in memory of. He touched our heart so much. Could you see if Mimi would do this? I know you are busy. My son is 7 and raised 145.00 in one day!!

Also, I was curious if you may want to put his link about this on your page? Who knows how much money could go to this. I am organizing an event in Louisville, KY and so far we have two moms who are in!!!! We have not set our official date, but if any one wants to donate, they can go to the page and it goes directly to the charity, not us.

Thanks for continuing to make me laugh everyday. I am a mom to 4, and my newest one was born with multiple medical problems..Your site makes me laugh when there are days I am so stressed...It also helps me remember how much fun being a parent really is.

Mean mommy laughing in the background. I recognize Clay's voice from the cookie video. My 5 yr old still watches that one and laughs at it.

That's one tired baby. But she is so cute!

All I have to do is put mine in my bed and she is out! Sleeping with mommy is always better than sleeping alone.

Hold her in your arms, and whisper in her ear, "No matter what you think, you'll always be my baby." Hug her tight and preserve that moment in your mind. I know you do that, but it's worth remembering. They grow up SO FAST!!!

Well now I am in official grandma worry mode. My grandson turned 2 right after Brooklyn did and he doesn't talk in sentences like she does :( Oh sure he talks and I thought he talked a lot, but WOW, Brooklyn talks like a big girl. He still takes naps without a fight, so I guess it's a fair trade.BTW, no, there are no Sonic's in Morris, IL. The nearest one is in Champaign, so why $**@# do they tease us with those commercials.Here's one more thing that bothers me......hand sanitizer....just what is the point? I totally get the handwashing, you rub soap on your hands, rinse, germs go down the drain. But sanitizer? You rub goop on your hands to kill the germs and now you have dead germs hanging around on your hands? And 99.99% are killed, just how many germs are in that .01 laughing their asses off%? Think about that for a minute and please pass me a slice of that tiramisu and some tequilla for my hands.

She is just too cute! Definitely exercising that NO word! Think she has that down pat, lol. If that is the height of her terrible twos, wow you are lucky. Did the other 5 have the "terrible twos"?Hope you have a great day!

Hi Dawn, I was wondering how potty training goes at your house? Did the girls catch on better then the boys? When I was teaching my son he would use the toilet to pee but when he had to poop he would dance around, holding his but and yelling..Put a diaper On Quick! Then he would run behind a door or in a closet and do his thing. That diaper was on a whole 5 miniuites. Kristine in Michigan.

I'll trade you all of Brooklyn's tantrums for just one of my 4-year old's ear-splitting, getting-on-my-very-last-nerve meltdowns...lol!

I remember how cute her little tantrums were, and my DH and I would just tell her "come find us when you are finished" and walk away from her. It was like an instant off switch! Now she just follows us while wailing all the louder, so we have got to switch techniques.

Brooklyn is a cutie though, I think if she was mine she would me in mortal danger of having those precious cheeks chewed off every second of the day! Thanks for showing us that our kids aren't the only ones with the "no" gene in place!

OH MY HEAVENS! She is so adorable in her tantrums. My 7 year old son is my baby. I call him my baby, and I ask him, "What will you be when you're 67 years old?" He always answers, "I'll be Mom's baby boy." I told him to get used to it; kids are always Mom's babies, no matter how old they are! He's the only one who's embraced that idea.

You call that a tantrum? Wow. When my 4 year old was 2, we found ourselves in the middle of HELL when he started throwing fits. He would go on for HOURS. He still throws fits, but we put him in the naughty chair and tell him we'll start the timer when he's ready. He eventually calms down and we don't have to look at him throwing his fit. It has made our part in the process very unemotional.

Now our 2 1/2 year old daughter is beginning to throw fits, too. She's more mellow than her brother, but both of them make Brooklyn look like an angel. :0)

My two year old son couldn't see the computer screen and when he heard the video playing he thought I was watching a video of him! He kept asking to "watch Rowan". I guess all two year olds the world over sound the same- "NO!"

Oh I forgot about those fun times. My eldest is now 12. So this is what I have to look forward to in another 6 months with the twins. Awesome. That's it I'm planning a year long vacation and my husband is taking over LOL, yeh like that would actually happen he he.

Flynn is my little terror, if things don't go his way he pushes over furniture and throws things against the walls ... he has my temper LOL. Marisol is very calm when she's not happy, she gets up in your face, waggles her little finger at you and says 'no, no, no' LOL.

I'm the youngest of 3 and always got upset when called a baby - my parents used to always say "you aren't A baby, but you are THE baby of the family!". I feel your pain Brooklyn! It's tough being "the baby"!

wow, I'm impressed that there is a two year old out there that is not obsessed with cartoons. There is no way that my 2yo would sit and play with blocks while someone watched cartoons in the background.

My three year old came running out of the kids' bedroom the other day screaming "I am NOT a Girl!" so I asked "are you a boy, then?" she screamed "I am NOT a boy!", so of course, my 9 yr old said "So then you are a Girl?".... She Screamed "I am NOT a Girl, NOT a Boy! I am a Briena!!!"

I must say that she's kinda tame. All my kids scream at the top of their lungs, flop on the floor like fish and kick. Truly pleasnt behavior I can tell you!!In facet right now my 4yo daughter is pitching a fit cos I won't let her on my lap...off to her room she goes :)

You never fail to make me laugh. My 3 yr old son was diagnosed with leukemia a month ago and your site has brought me some of my only laughs and happiness in this past month. Keep up the great work! I can't wait to read your book :-)

I'm like a lot of these other moms...My kids' tantrums were much worse. Especially my 3 year old. But my SIL moved in with us, and she took him in his room and had a fit right along with him. He yelled at her to stop, and she yelled back "I'LL STOP WHEN YOU STOOOOOPPPP!" It took him a while still, but he finally stopped. Now whenever he goes into fit mode, she says "OO, Can I go have a fit too?" and he stops mid-scream! It's hilarious.

My video said not available when I first clicked on it, but the page had been sitting for a while as I was busy, so I refreshed the page and it worked just fine. With two teenagers in the house now, it's kind of nice to look back down memory lane. Thanks.Annette in BC

Ahhh, Dawn, I love it when I get to see that I'm not alone. Poor Brooklyn not getting her way every minute of the day. My 2 year old really feels for her.

As far as the evil look goes, I love it. Sadly, my 2 year old has a far more evil one. I really need to take a picture of it and post it on my blog one day.

She's also really started pouting when she doesn't get her way. So of course I tell her that she's making SUCH a great pouty face but that I can see a smile peeking through, at which point she cracks up. So now Mister Man and Little Miss run up to me and say "Look at my face! Look at my face!" so we have to run through this exercise even when she isn't pouty. Whoops!

And for the Grandma whose 2 year old doesn't talk like Brooklyn, don't worry (this coming from a mom who's had both children go through speech therapy via Early Intervention). Every child develops differently, and Brooklyn is at the high end of the speaking spectrum for a 2yo (probably partly due to being generally more developed in that part of her brain for whatever genetic reason and probably a big part to do with having lots of brothers and sisters modeling for her). If he has words and puts together 2 and 3 word sentences, he's doing fine. And if you're at all concerned (truly - not just in comparison to Brooklyn), talk to the pediatrician or look up the early intervention services in your state (I can provide you all the info you'd ever want for Illinois).

So precious, Dawn!

Oh, and a question for you, Dawn. I have to make a decision about whether or not to send my son to kindergarten next year (he misses the cutoff by just a bit but academically is doing what he needs to do in kindergarten). Did you have any kids at/near/past the cutoff date for kindergarten? If so, what were your rationales for sending/not sending and how did they work out? I so don't want to do the wrong thing for my kid (granted, what parent DOES?).

HA! HA! HA! That's great! I have a daughter that will be 2 in April and she is soooooo much fun, BUT I can totally see her stubborness and individualism coming out more and more each day. All those NO's are totally turned around for me when mine says "Lub you mom" or "sorry mom". I LOVE THIS AGE believe it or not! We have 5 children and even the older ones are always telling her how cute she is. . . no pride developing there! LOL! I'll have to look back and see if I can find it, but when did Brookly turn 2?

OMG Dawn! My 2 year old, Ethan, just had the same reaction today at naptime. He thought it was a much better idea to go outside. He's been such an awesome napper but when there's a pretty day, I get ready for a fight. Thanks for making me realize how normal it is. And wow...your tolerance is inspiring.

O.K. seriously, her tantrums can't really be that adorable, it's not fair to the rest of us! She didn't even try to hit you or throw anything or threaten to put you in a time-out like my 3 year old does. Not fair at all...

You are very brave to record that. It is the part of having 5 kids that I choose to forget. I have 4 teenagers right now. The only difference is that they don't fall to the floor and there is no pull up sticking up out of the back of their pants.

That's funny that you posted this today. My 15 month old twins are adored by their teachers at daycare and are always happy never throw fits there. They just said that again today and I laughed b/c both of them have started throwing kicking, screaming, run-around-and-throw-yourself-down tantrums at home if we take something away,tell them no, or don't pick them up when they want to. We joked about video-taping her tonight when we got home, as my daughter immediately started in after I shooed her out of the kitchen while dh was cooking. And I agree - Brooklyn's 'tantrum' was nice and quiet compared to my little drama queen's screams! Lets hope she uses her words as well as Brooklyn does by the time she's 2!

I'd love to post a video of my 15 year old daughter when she throws a fit--except that I'm always too fried to remember to sneak out the camera. Brooklyn reminds me of the good ol' days when fits use to be cute.

SSO question: Did you enjoy all the parenting advice you got for Brooklyn WHEN SHE IS YOUR 6TH KID???? I'm guessing you have a grip on how to handle tantrums in your house by now. I LOVE when people can't resist a moment to be bossy. :-) Thanks for putting yourself out there. You must have thick skin.

Hey Dawn! Two things...how do you keep your kids socks separated and sorted properly? I cant tell the difference between my 4 year old and 1 year old socks at times until I go to put them on their feet! And...do you want to walk to support the March of Dimes in April? Check it out...www.marchforbabies.org. They cured polio and are trying to cure prematurity and infant mortality! Thanks!!! Lauren

I just wanted to tell you I had "the restaurant" dream last night! I left all my tables to go take a shower. I had two lady's credit cards with me and they left me a note with their addresses to mail them back because when I got done with my shower all my tables had left without paying!

Dawn, I just found your blog linked from a friend's. Oh, how I can relate regarding the tantrums! When my son (3yrs old) hears the "N" (nap) word he immediately breaks down into "I'm not sleepy mommy" or "it's not dark outside mommy"... I could go on & on - it's a constant struggle! You're doing an awesome job @ being so calm! Kudos to you Dawn!

I don't know, that looks like amateur hour to me. If only my son's tantrums looked like that. Please tell me that it gets worse than that or I will start to feel really badly about my own demon child :)

Ha, Dawn. I just think you're the coolest mother ever. Your kids are so fortunate to have such a funny and caring mom. There's never a dull moment around there, I'm sure.

Anywho, maybe this'll get me a SSO question (yeah, because you KNOW it's already a contest). If you were to have another kid (and no sarcastic comment from you please :P it's hypothetical), and most likely a boy, can you think of a city you'd like to use as a name?

I've been meaning to ask you this out of curiosity for some time now so that I actually dreamt about it a couple of nights ago. Your answer was "Los Amigos", if you must know, which I thought was very strange, LOL. And really, I don't even know if that's an American city so, people, don't come knocking.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that when you REALLY decide to resign, you can always come to Europe. I'd be more than happy to show you around.

That sounds like the fight that my 4 yr old used to give me as recent as 6 months ago when I'd ask him if he needed to go pee. Of course I would ask him when he's dancing in circles on his toes while holding himself. "NO, I DON'T HAVE TO GO PEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I am glad I am not the only one who finds it funny to video tape the tantrums in our house! I have some really funny ones. I plan to include them in my children's wedding video montages. Because I am evil like that.

LOL!!!!!!!!!! Trade the name and face to my 21 month old, Connor, take away some of the verbal skills and replace with louder screams (he's not talking NEARLY as much as Brooklyn) and TADA, that's the story of my child's life as well. That was great!